Easter is coming early this year. Here in Australia, we’re still experiencing peak summer temperatures yet Easter is just three weeks away! Of course, craft projects with kids are great any time but holiday projects are a wonderful opportunity to involve your children. And Easter crafts are a lot more than fun – they can be used to decorate your home and welcome the ‘Easter bunny’!
All kids love to see their projects hanging up where they and everyone else can see them. With Easter so close, it should be easy to motivate the ‘littlies’ to turn out some memorable results.
Here are some easy Easter craft ideas that your kids are sure to LOVE!
Painting or dyeing eggs
This has to be the ultimate classic. You probably remember doing it yourself when you were young – well, younger than you are today we mean :) Painting eggs is so easy to do and it’s easy to contain the mess for a five minute clean-up! . EVERYBODY loves it!
As an aside, I read that egg painting originated in Russia but a little research shows that it’s a craft that pre-dates Christianity! In fact, in many cultures, the egg is a symbol of new life, fertility and rebirth. The ancient Persians painted eggs as a part of their New Year celebrations, a tradition that is still carried on today in modern Iran!
Preparation
You have two options! You can either simply hard boil the eggs or, if you intend to keep them indefinitely, you might prefer to remove the contents first. Again, you probably remember the technique from your own childhood. Start with lots of shaking to mix the yolk and white. Then use a pin to make a small hole at both ends of the shell. Now start blowing. Help the kids to make scrambled eggs with the result :)
If you opt to hard boil the eggs, submerge each egg in a pan full of cool water deep enough to cover them. You might want to add half a teaspoon of salt as it apparently helps prevent eggshells from cracking. Bring the water to a full boil and then immediately remove the pan and cover it. Let the eggs sit for 15 minutes in the boiled water. Now run cool water over the eggs and set them aside until they are room temperature.
Dyeing your eggs
Easier and faster than painting, dyed eggs look great but probably won’t keep the kids happy. Note that it’s always handy to dye eggs even if you intend to paint them as it offers the full spectrum of solid background colours from pastels through to black! Use any of the food colourings you already have in the pantry. Mix about 10 drops of colouring agent, half a tablespoon of white vinegar and half a cup of boiling water.
Don’t have any food colourings? Then use Kool Aid or jelly crystals! They work a treat!
Either way, once the eggs are room temperature, immerse them in your colouring for about five minutes. If you want a darker result, just leave them longer.
Now let them dry and either let the kids loose with crayons or paints or display them as they are.
Note that if you opted to hard boil your eggs with the intention of eating them, do so within five days. The shell protects, but not forever! You might also choose to refrigerate your eggs until they get displayed or placed for the Easter Egg Hunt!
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Easter Cookies
Easter cookies are another really easy project to do with young children – or even your adult friends.
You can use any cookie recipe but I like to use this gingerbread recipe as it creates a good, crisp biscuit with a great flavour. Let the kids go crazy making their own shapes in addition to the eggs. Ginger bunnies are perfect additions!
Easter Baskets
Here’s another tip down Memory Lane. Your Mum might still have yours tucked away in her memory box :)
There are many materials that can be used to make baskets, from cane to plastic bags, but a paper basket like that featured here is perfect for your youngsters to get started. They look great, suit little fingers, are quick to make and are very inexpensive.
All you’ll need is construction paper, scissors, and a stapler or glue. Have your kids pick two or three colours of construction paper and then cut the paper into strips about 2.5cms (1 inch) wide. Weave alternating colours. Go here for a detailed tutorial that includes a full video on the steps.
Make an Easter Bunny
This project is ideal for toddlers and very young children, however, you’ll need to keep an eye on the parts as you prepare!
All you’ll need is a white paper plate, some black and red felt, a few pipe cleaners, a pair of scissors and some glue. Start by cutting the top edge off the paper plate. (Don’t discard the pieces as you’ll be using them later.) Now cut two vertical slits in the center of the plate and thread the white pipe cleaner through.
Cut the eyes and mouth out of the black and the nose from the red felt. Glue everything in position.
For the ears, use the edges of the plate that you set aside earlier. Add red felt to the middle to finish off the ears and you’re all set to go. If you (or the kids) want longer ears, just use a second paper plate!
This video shows a fun variation as well as a simple Easter Chick!
These are all easy projects that should hold your kids’ attention and help them feel involved in the Easter festivities. Bookmark this post because your child just may wish to do them all again next year!
Have you got a project that should be here or a suggestion that can add value? Just use the Comments section below or email us via our contact form.
Thanks to Kim for this great idea!
